The Capped Bust half dollar
The first half dollar minted in real quantity. Because banks held them as reserves rather than spending them, Capped Bust halves survive far better than most coinage of the period.
| Years | Alloy | Weight | Silver | At spot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1807-1836 Lettered edge, 32.5mm | 89.24% silver | 13.48 g | 0.3868 ozt | $26.35 |
| 1836-1839 Reeded edge and a reduced 30mm diameter, struck on steam presses | 90% silver | 13.36 g | 0.3866 ozt | $26.33 |
The design
Designed by John Reich, later modified by Christian Gobrecht. The obverse shows Liberty wearing a mob cap, facing left; the reverse shows an eagle with a shield on its breast. The coin measures 32.5mm across.
Finding the mint mark
None until 1838. New Orleans struck a tiny 1838-O issue.
Mint marks matter more than most people expect: the same date from a different mint can be a common coin or a scarce one. What each letter means.
Dates in this series
This series predates the 1892 start of our date-by-date pages. Early half dollars are collected as rarities rather than as silver, and a melt figure is rarely the right way to think about a coin worth several hundred dollars or more. Why the date pages start where they do.